Rebecca

It was good, my problem stems from the back-and-forth aspect. I’m not a fan of going back in time then forward and hopping this way and that repeatedly and it was happening from 3 different perspectives. The characters were interesting; the story was alright though at times I went “wait where am I? Oh right…”; the writing was good. If it just wasn’t for the repeated character perspective changes and the time shifts goodness my head spun at one point.

Not bad. There are issues here and there and the characters are meh at times and the suspension of disbelief must be put there but it sort of reminded me of old school cheese and I enjoyed it. The writing was good as far as progression of story, and though there was cheese it wasn't enough to make me go "Oh come oooon". It was a fun little read.

I'm actually a little bamboozled about what I just read. I don't get the point or reasons for it. It meanders and has tech talk and big words to make it sound smart and there's infidelity of the rich guy and all this blah blah blah but I just don't care...it was just so bland and boring. Characters were one dimensional and flat, plot went absolutely no where, it was paper...

Thanks to the publisher and author for this ARC from Amazon First Reads for an honest review.

It's corny but in a good way. I liked it. The characters weren't bad and the story was linear. Were there parts that moved too quick... Yes. Does it happen in real life...yes but the frequency of it lasting forever is highly unlikely...

I also wasn't really expecting the spice level...granted the cover was unassuming and well it's one reason I'm not fond of cartoonish covers for spicy books...yes they're close together all dreamy but that doesn't tell me dick diddly apart from it's cute...the saying don't judge a book by it's cover...well maybe we should start when it comes to the more spicy romance ones with cute covers.

I think I might have finally grasped what I was thinking about this book. It tries to be too many things at once. I felt like I was being pulled in too many directions. I'd get to one part then get sucked in and forget "oh right this isn't a whole mishmash of stories it's supposed to be one coherent story" which...it wasn't. So many of them could have easily been plucked out of the book itself and been it's own short story. The Great Jew, His mother teaching his daughter, their time in Italy, The flashback with his friends...the thing is those sections went on so LONG they could have been their own things.

The storyline didn't bring much to the characters...it "seemed too" at the end but it felt flat. I didn't care. The descriptions were phenomenal. The dialogue...that was off...that needed some work. Some of the characters felt...bleh. I don't remember his love interest or why he cared, I forgot half the time there even WAS a love interest. There were moments it shine and wow was it good but then it just goes into that "WTF" and "how did I get here" territory.

This book was good. The characters reminded me of people I knew and had development and growth. The writing style was easy to follow and I enjoyed it. There were moments here and there where it was sort of like ‘could this really happen?’ And it was almost like you had to suspend some disbelief but considering the short story aspect it wasn’t too bad. It was just believable enough because with enough human grit and ingenuity…maybe they could have done some of those things in that time.

From a technical standpoint it probably doesn’t stand up to scrutiny as much, from an emotional standpoint it does. Mixing the two two it does alright.

This is an ARC but a late one so I’m not going to post it as such since it’s already published now (it was published 1-Jan-2026) I have my moments of doing very well with ARC’s and then like this one I faceplant in the mud. Then there’s the ones from like 2024 where I didn’t realize they were ARC’s on Amazon First Reads so…yeah. That’s why I posted this part at the END of my review. I still want to thank the publisher and author for this even though I have egg on my face for the late response.

I'm...teetering between 2 and 2.5 for this one. It wasn't bad at first, but there's a lot of filler, it drones on and on the characters are...eh, they're there I suppose. Things happen that do not make sense for people who divorce...for the reasons they divorce...*sigh* There's "twists" and "turns" in the book that are unnecessary and there just seems to be more filler than actual movement in the plot itself. It's there...

This is the first book I've read from this author and I'll give her another shot, I always do even though this book didn't strike me another might. I've been surprised before.

I'd like to thank the publisher and author as this is an ARC from Amazon First reads February 2026. The book will come out March 1, 2026.

It's good and a solid book. It's not a full 5⭐️ for me because I does have some cheese to it and the question of how comfortable the characters were right off. It's also not always easy to write time skips in short stories and it was done ok but it was a little awkward. But all in all, the characters were solid, the motivation was clear, the writing style was good, it was a nice romantic short story. It was cute.

I wanted to thank the publisher and author for the chance to read this as an ARC from Amazon First Reads:February 2026. It will be published March 1, 2026.

I will admit...I watched the movie first not knowing it was a book and was a true story... That's not the reason for the 4⭐️ though! It was good! It was. It was done well and I was very impressed by all the information... But that's what did it for me. Well the techy talk. The history and learning more about the lives about the people and those that survived the storm and the rescuers troubles... But oh my...

I will applaud the extreme attention to detail,even if it did get to be a bit overwhelming at times. And the afterword, that was good. The explanation of who was talked too and their feelings and the authors feelings.

More a 4.5⭐️

I read this for a book club and I'm glad someone picked it out. It wasn't what I expected and in a sense made my True Crime heart sing. There were moments that made me laugh and moments that had me going WTF. And it was intriguing to get into the other perspective. The psychology is fascinating.

The writing style was good and I enjoyed the flow, the characters were interesting although there were moments that had me arch a brow at how things might be able to happen but without spoilers I won't say more. The way it was described for getting older, *chiefs kiss* I remember my grandma complaining much the same way. Difference though my grandma flat out refused to even THINK about an assisted living place...she was under the impression they were like nursing homes and no one could convince her otherwise.

This was an Amazon First Reads pick for January 2026 (publication stated for February 1st 2026) Thank you to the Publisher and Author for this ARC.

This is the first novel I have read by this author and I will read another. For this one, the characters were ok. There was a lot of repetition with how the main protagonist was so meek and intimidated by this big bad main antagonist. Then the reason for it all turned out to be something so mundane and a little ridiculous that it does sort of sound like it would cause bullying but could have easily been remedied by another action. I will post the spoiler of what Fern did to piss off Haven and why it seems a little eh with a warning below so if you don’t want to read it don’t scroll lower. I’ll also spoil what happens to Dani and Haven.

The writing: I liked the flow of the writing, the pacing of it was nice. The dialogue was a little off at times, but it wasn’t enough to detour me from finishing the book. I did find the ending to be disappointing. The buildup to what happened to Dani and…that? Then what goes on with Haven…it’s just…*sigh* It started out pretty good, but it was all very lackluster in the end. A few clunky areas but like I mentioned at the start I will be reading another of this authors books.

*Spoiler*

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Fern gave Haven a laxative cookie in middle school and Haven took that and made Fern’s life a living hellhole for the rest of middle school and high school. Fern only gave Haven a cookie…now if Fern had given a few people cookies (not laxative ones but cookies in general) and didn’t just single Haven out with the cookie there’s no way that Haven could have known for sure that it was the cookie that made her sick.(Which she did because...jealousy...Dani could only be HER best friend!! And she thought that Fern was being Crazy at that point.)

Dani confronts her ‘friends’ asking them to stop, Haven is a bitch and goes “Don’t you remember what she did? She’s suck a freak, she—” and at “freak” Fern pushes Haven to her backside because she had enough a tussle ensues and Dani trying to break them up ends up falling off a cliff. Like…really? ALL that buildup over this mystery and we get a “no you!” “No you!” and an “oh shit...” as they stare down the cliff then decide to pretend it didn’t happen after Haven basically threatens Fern to blame it all on her…really?

Haven commits suicide when Fern does an op-ed and the internet cancels her. Which I can see how much pressure that can do for a person, especially when their career is an influencer. But given how Haven had been portrayed throughout the book…that seemed way out of character. Maybe some sort of comeback or retaliatory thing but to just end it?

I wasn't alive during WWII but my grandfather served. He was part of the 'clean up' crew. He never spoke of it as the author of this book's father never spoke of his time, and so many veterans never do.

What makes this book so good is not only was it written with respect but from the son of one of the 6 who raised the flag. The fact he wanted to know who they were, truly were, not just an image on a page or in a frame. Not just a statue. He conveyed on the page the real people and who they were. The physical copy I have wasn't as detailed as the audio I listened to which is a little saddening because the audio was so good.

I have little else to say other than I laughed in some places, cried, and was taken on a journey. History is something I love and it is something we should never forget. It's not easy and those who sacrificed shouldn't be forgotten. Nor should we forget the bad decisions done either that lead to bad endings. As I was reading one thing made me think, though at the time the US and Japan didn't have the same values for bonsai...did the US not ask the marines to do the same thing on Iwo with little to no help at the start?

*due to something going on with me it is easier for me to comprehend if I use emersion with audio and physical copies which is why I'm using my one personal in home TBR bookshelf to read for now or the Kindle assist if I get them at the library.*

It was well written don't get me wrong...however; how much can go wrong in one persons life? I know shit can hit the fan and it can be blow after blow but it was never ending with Wanda. She was the walking definition of Murphy's Law. I wouldn't have minded it so much if it wasn't one thing after another, after another, and so on but come on. Then there's that hint of supernatural like where did that come in? Or was that supposed to be evolution? Probably the latter but it didn't really come off that way.

Characters were *shrug* I could take them or leave them. I was interested at first, then it just went down hill when it all kept getting worse and worse and nothing seemed to get better and it all kept piling up.

I usually only keep 5⭐️ books but I feel like I missed something. My brain is little off so I might reread this one and try again.

I'd read this once in college for a mythology class...It had been awhile so I did not remember and it ALL came flooding back. Brilliant.

It felt like fanfiction but poorly written fanfiction at that. Didn't care about the people the plot; which only seemed to be-girl gets power and everyone wants to get girl's power for themselves or kill her...meh.

Plus the boy meets girl and they instantly fall in love at first sight and bang right away...(there is fade to black so no spice but still.) Characters; cardboard, Plot; paper, Setting; fits world at least, Dialogue; WTF?.The whole thing just makes me sad and wish it was better.

This one brought me back a bit. When we’re younger we think we know everything. Some are as bad as the main protagonist, and some are not. But there’s that; “I know everything” or “I’m indestructible” attitude and it really shows through. I remember people like this, I even know 20 yr old's like this. It was well written and it is a little sad to say but I’m a bit in agreement with my mother that…I’m not sure how well it would go down in the younger generation of readers if it was able to be brought back as mandatory reading like it had been when my mother was in school. Because back in the 70’s it WAS mandatory reading.

The plot was good, the writing was well done, the main protagonist though a pain in the ass was well written as were the rest of the characters. It makes you think and in some cases makes someone older remember when they were that age and go…”yeah”…or in some cases go; “I sometimes wonder how I’m even still alive because of the shit we got into.”

The last story makes it a 2 because what in the fever dream did I read? Characters were bland in basically every story, the buildup was...nonexistent and you can have buildup and character development in short stories...it's possible. You can even have that in Flash Fiction...But there was NONE of that in these stories. Maybe some in the last one but the others?

It's...ok. It could have been A LOT shorter than it was. The characters were alright I guess, but the bad guys were the stereotypical sort.

Plot was...WTF. Did it have to be so...sigh. I'd be spoiling it if I said much but needless to say it was a cluster. A lot was happening that was excessive.

Witty but wordy...I am not sure in my current state at least all the technical aspects spewed was quite the book for me. There was absolutely NO dialogue. I will say...the end sort of took me out. I was intrigued but then out of left field there's a WTF? I'm sorry where did that come from?

Even though this ARC was from October's Amazon First Reads I still wanted to thank the author and publisher for it! And sorry for the late posting! October wasn't the best book month...I was just bleh...

...The characters were fine. Now who said men can't write women correctly? I've heard that time and time again that men can't write women or they do it wrong, not always. The character development was there to an extent I do wish there was a bit more though. But since it is the first in the series perhaps it might grow as the series develops.

It had plenty of action in it, the flow was good, the writing was good though kindle was a little meh; not bad but a few minor things here and there, that was probably just the transfer from file to the program itself so tech kinks not written ones. It happens, I looked into it when another book was ten kinds of wackadoodle. Thankfully that one I found on Libby and it was great but when technology goes awry. XD

I enjoyed it for the first book of his I read and though I found it interesting enough what sort of killed it for me was the pilling on of things...it got to be too much. Like ooo is it this or ooo is it that and it just got to be...ok come on now. Mostly at the end...A LOT... I'd say more but in the words of a Doctor Who character; “Spoilers”. I might not be reading more of this series but I will be checking out other books of his.

Thank you to the publisher and Author for this as it is an ARC from Amazon First Reads.

More a 3.5⭐️ if going for the “vibes” and because it cracked me up in places...not necessarily because of the way people might think. It's more...when you know something is going to happen and you're not mad about it because that's just the formula...like enemies to lovers or found family or something like that. You know what's up...having read all the previous books in this series...I know the formula and at first it annoyed but now it is what it is. It's almost like it sucked me in. Like it's not good but I can't stop looking at it...

I will say this one was a bit different than the others also so it got a higher score. Still has the same trope ending BUT the in between is a bit different. And it cracked me up more than the others did...well apart from the 1st one.

I'm still working on getting into Dillon Savich as the “lead” because he just doesn't have that for me. He was second fiddle and only there in passing in book 1 and now BOOM he's head in every book from 2 to this one...he still has second fiddle energy to me but that could be I really liked the main man (James Quinlan) in book 1 and that guy's been ghosted...

More a 3.5 ⭐️. I've been reading DUDS lately so this was in a sense a breath of fresh air. It was interesting, it had consistency, and it wasn't 100% predictable. Yes there was that slim chance of success or failure. And the word play...

More a 2.5⭐️ and that's for the WHOLE thing individually I'd say books 1-3 would be 3⭐️ it's the last 2 that brought the whole score down. Especially Riptide...what was I reading? Was it part of the same series? I was starting to get confused about what was happening and why I should even bother. Meaning...there was too much happening. Plus the boy meets girl and insta love is getting REALLY old...REALLY fast. 5 books and it's STILL happening in EVERY ONE. Sorry for spoiling it but it's pretty apparent real quick...

I'm also doing this because compulsion to read all the books before the necessary one (my book club book is #7 in this series so I HAVE a to read the beginners)

I read a description of this book, a synopsis of it and...it did say collection of short stories however the way it was phrased made it sound like it was a collection of stories from a cancer patient ready to end things and a boy stumbles upon him and he finds a reason to love through a collection of shorts of either the boy talking about things in his life or him remembering all the good. I was intrigued. To say I was... Surprised when I started reading was an understatement.

It was...interesting and yet felt at times like a hot mess. Some of the short stories were structured in a way that was...not what I am accustomed to, nor something I'd probably go for again.

There were some topics that made me arch a brow, words said mostly. Many more slurs in this book than I had read in awhile...one said by the person it was supposed to be directed toward, some condemned by people who still thought them, and one who was just a POS. (This is just a trigger warning)

It was a trip I'll say that. The last story was the one I thought would be the main focus of the whole thing considering the synopsis I'd read (as I'd stated above). There were a few stories in there that were intriguing but overall this just wasn't my cup of tea.

I do think there's something more to it...each story giving some sort of message. What that is...at the moment my brain is not telling me.